It's Not Over Yet
by SilentLibrarian
Summary: The war is over and Voldemort is defeated, but Harry still has to deal with the trials and tribulations of being best friends with a certain Ronald Weasley. Or maybe he'll just have to talk both of his best friends through this.


"Harry! 'Mione! You're okay! Everyone's okay!" Ron pelted toward Harry, stumbling exhausted from the ruins of the castle. "Well… you know… not everyone, but… you're okay!"

"Ron, shut it." Hermione walked up behind the two boys, relatively unscathed. "I bet Harry's exhausted, he certainly looks it. Harry, I'll get Luna to distract everyone so you have a rest in… what's left of the dorm room."

"What? Harry, no, I need to talk- OW! 'Mione…"

"Ron, shut up!" Hermione hissed under her breath.

Harry chortled to himself, winked at Ron, and headed toward the castle.

_Harry… Harry… Harryyyyy…_

"Harry, wake up! Wake up! It's important!"

"Wha- Ron?"

"Yeah!" Ron looked like he was about to have a panic attack… what had happened?

"I- I… need your advice."

"On what?" God, Harry thought, how long had he slept?

"Um… oh God… IaskedHermionetomarryme!" Ron closed his eyes and cringed away like he was expecting to be hit.

"You… you what? Is this a joke?"

"No! No, it's not a joke, but I kind of wish it was!" Ron was rushing to get the words out, as if they might disappear before he got a chance to say them.

"Well, um… what did she say?"

"She said yes!"

"Oh, wow Ron, that's wonde-"

"This is a disaster! What am I going to do?"

Well, that was unexpected. "Erm… marry her, I suppose."

"I can't do that," Ron almost screamed. "I'm _seventeen_, for Merlin's sake! I can't get MARRIED!"

"Well, then, you great idiot, why'd you ask her?"

"I dunno! We were talking about, y'know, the future and stuff, and what… well, what was gonna happen with _us_, if you know what I mean, and… and it just sort of slipped out."

Harry sighed in exasperation. Even after defeating Voldemort, he still couldn't overcome the challenges of having Ron Weasley as a best friend.

As soon as he had coerced a near-hysterical and incoherent Ron into bed, and his snores filled the room, Harry snuck downstairs to find Hermione and try to get a clear picture of things. Unfortunately, he couldn't find her anywhere in the ruins of the Great Hall or anywhere else, really. Finally, a thought struck him, and he made his way to the staircase leading to the girl's dormitory, a place he hadn't been since fifth year. The stairs that, last time, had transformed into a slippery chute, sending the boys hurtling back to the common room, merely groaned under him as he climbed to the top. When he arrived at the door to the girl's dorm, he knocked, praying for a response.

"Who is it?" came Hermione's voice from the other side of the door.

"Oh, thank God," sighed Harry, slumping against the wood in relief. "I've been looking for you everywhere. Can I come in?"

"Yeah…" came the reply. "I assume Ron told you what happened."

"Yeah, he did." Harry opened the door, wincing at the groan of the hinges. "I came to you for a little clarification. Ron was… I dunno, a bit hysterical when he told me."

"I think he was a little bit hysterical when he asked me, at that," Hermione replied with a tiny sound that may have been a scoff. " We both were. I don't know why I said yes… Not because I don't want to, but I'm supposed to be the rational one, the clear thinker, and I should have said something! We're only seventeen! How are we going to make this work? We won't be able to… Our families-"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" He cut Hermione off in the middle of her rant. Apparently, he was going to have to talk _both _of his best friends through this. Harry sighed internally. "Hermione, calm down. It'll be okay! You and Ron have been working towards this since third year. Everybody's known it. You think the rest of the school hasn't noticed the way you two've been dancing around each other ever since you both hit puberty? And you don't have to marry him right away. You don't have to marry him at all, I suppose. Not if you don't want to. Just… see how it goes. Give it a chance."

"You're right, Harry," Hermione sighed. "It just happened so fast, so when I got a chance to think about it… it all caught up to me."


End file.
